Echo Binary

For the lighter side of my blog, let’s talk about videos. I know that YouTube needs no introduction and I won’t believe that you have not seen a YouTube video yet. Now, if you are a gamer you’ve probably watched videos that gamers have recorded and encoded, splitting to multi-part videos on how they beat an entire game from start to end. Honestly, would you watch a game instead of playing it? If you are too eager to watch game videos then watch from the real source of game video entertainment.

There is only one website I know that exhibits game franchise history with deep details and trivia that game enthusiasts would love to watch — Gametrailers.com. You can even download the videos from the website in different formats such as .mov, .wmv or iPod-ready mp4.

These retrospective easily sets apart Gametrailers.com from any other game websites I know. There are game reviews and even previews in Gametrailers.com but these retrospectives do not only review games — each retrospective takes a good look on the influences of the game during its time and often describes how a game developed from one simple franchise to one of the most prolific one.

To give an example, let me introduce the Final Fantasy retrospective. It is the longest retrospective in Gametrailers.com right now, spanning 13 episodes. It’s not even finished yet so I’m looking forward to how these guys are going to end it. There are a lot of information in each episode. If you have not played any of the games prior to FF VII, then you’ll need to watch these videos to appreciate the older FFs. Be prepared to watch some spoilers but rest assured, spoilers are kept to the minimum. Sometimes even game reviews cannot prevent spilling some spoilers to let the editors explain the game plot easier.

Now, I’m not really a Zelda fan but I appreciate adventure RPGs as well. I’ve played Zelda once in Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) but I didn’t finish it. Watching the retrospective videos not only gives me the overview of the series but it also enrich my understanding of the game history. I wanted to play the series from the beginning but it’s going to be troublesome finding old Nintendo hardwares and classic games like Zelda.

I’m sure you’ll think twice in watching game videos in YouTube again. I encourage you to visit Gametrailers.com and watch more videos!

Sword in hand, a warrior clutches stone to breast.
In sword etched he his fading memories.
In stone, his tempered skill;
By sword attested, by stone revealed.
Their tale can now be told.

It is already out in US since October 9, and just recently Play-Asia is already shipping this game! I want to play Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions but I don’t own a PSP. I’m in a tight budget recently so purchasing PSP would just put my financial planning in disaster again.

I have already finished this game in PS1 but this PSP port offers new anime-style cinematics, new jobs, multiplayer feature and brand new English translation! The new English translation alone warrants a purchase because when I played this game, I only understood half the story due to inconsistent name spellings and bad grammar. Its half-baked translation didn’t stop me enjoying the game though.

If you are reading this and feels generous on buying me a copy of the game (including PSP) — you can contact me privately regarding this matter.

Oh… just a side note. If you notice the logo of FFT:TWOTL, you’ll find that a Lancer (Dragoon) is jumping high and is dominating the center of the logo. It’s one of my favorite job in the game and certainly helpful in tough boss battles. I easily defeated the final boss by using “jump” ability.